Separable container



p 29, 1970 R. v. JOHNSON 3,531,045

SEPARABLE CONTAINER Filed May 22, 1968 z Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR IPoA/ALD [Adah/v80.

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( ATrbRNEY Se pt. 29, 1970 R. v. JOHNSON 3,531,045

, SEPARABLE CONTAINER Filed May 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet z 50- l1; 37 E4055 24' I A I V 27 26 21 29 4/459 35 E95 S25 Z5 ATTORNEY United States Patent Offi 3,531,,M Patented Sept. 29, 1970 US. Cl. 229-51 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention discloses an end opening separable container including a rear wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a top wall and a glue flap secured in series along parallel fold lines. All of the walls have closure flaps thereupon, and the glue flaps have glue flap extensions hinged to the ends thereof. In connecting the container in tubular form, the glue flap extensions are adhered to the closure flaps on the rear wall. These rear wall closure flaps are split to provide an upper section and a lower section, the upper sections of the flaps being readily detachable from the rear wall. A removable tear strip extends across the front wall intermediate the height thereof, the tear strip also extending across the closure flaps attached to the front wall. By removing the tear strip and by detaching the upper portions of the closure flaps on the rear wall, the upper portion of the container may be removed to provide an open topped display tray.

This invention relates to a separable container and deals particularly with a container capable of servin as a display tray.

During recent years there has been an increasing tendency for the shippers of products used in supermarkets and the like to ship their products in containers which may serve as display containers after they have been opened. Such an arrangement eliminates the necessity of removing the various packages from the outer container, and placing them on the shelves. By handling the entire contents of the container in a single operation, much of the time required to put the package in display position is eliminated.

The present invention relates to a container of this general type. The container includes a removable tear strip which extends across the front panel of the container and into end closure flaps hinged to opposite ends of the front panel. By removing this tear strip and breaking the rear wall free from the remainder of the container the entire upper portions of the container may be removed, permitting the enclosed packages to be price marked and placed on a shelf as a unit.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a container of the type described in which the top and bottom walls of the container are provided with closure flaps which meet in end abutting relation midway between the upper and lower wall panels, and which include end closure flaps on the front and rear panels which are usually folded interiorly of the closure fiaps'of the top and bottom wall panels. The closure flaps secured to the rear walls are slit substantially in alignment with the abutting edges of the top and bottom closure flaps, and the upper portions of the rear wall closure flaps are connected to the rear wall along weakened lines of separation. After the tear strip has been removed from the front wall panel and the closure flaps connected thereto, the upper portions of the front wall, the top wall panel and the top closure flaps hinged thereto may be lifted from the bottom portion of the container, forming a display tray in which the contents of the container may remain for display purposes.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a container which includes, in series, a rear wall, a bottom wall, a front Wall, a top wall, and a glue flap hingedly connected along parallel fold lines. The glue flap is provided with extension flaps at opposite ends which are secured to the closure flaps of the rear wall, the glue flap itself being free of adhesive connection of the rear wall panel, or at least being but lightly adhered to the upper portion of the rear wall. As a result, when the upper portions of the closure flaps connected to the rear wall are broken away from the end edges of the rear wall, and the tear strip across the front panel has been removed, the upper section of the container may be merely lifted from the lower section and discarded.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container in closed condition.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container with the tear strip partially removed therefrom.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom section of the container after the top section has been removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper section of the container in inverted position.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the container with the tear strip partially removed.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the container is formed.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the container after it has been adhered in flat tubular form.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of an end of the folded blank in inverted relation to FIG. 7 to show the opposite side of the folded blank.

As indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the separable container A includes a rear wall 10, a bottom wall 11, a front wall 12, a top wall 13, and a glue flap 14, the panels and flap being connected along parallel lines of fold 15, 16, 17 and 19 respectively. The wall panels and glue flap described are of rectangular form. The ends of the various panels and flap are defined by parallel fold lines 20 extending at right angles to the previously described lines of fold. The rear Wall 10 is provided with closure flaps 21, the bottom wall panel 11 is connected to closure flaps 22, the front wall 12 is connected to closure flaps 23, and the top panel 13 is connected to closure flaps 24. The glue flap 14 is provided with glue flap extensions 25.

In the folding of the blank, the blank is folded along the fold line 17 to overlie the front wall 12 and a portion of the bottom wall 11. The blank is also folded along the fold line 15 to bring the rear wall 10 into overlapping relation with the glue flap 14. The glue flap 14 is not adhesively connected to the rear wall 10, or otherwise is only spot glued to the rear well 10 so as to separate readily therefrom. However, the glue flap extensions 25 are adhered in surface contact with the rear wall closure flaps 21.

As is indicated, the closure flaps 21 are provided with slits 26 extending at right angles to the fold lines 20, the slits 26 extending across or throughout the length of the glue flaps 21. Obviously, a weakened line of separation such as a perforated line can be substituted for each slit 26. The slits 26 divide the glue flaps 21 into an upper section 27, and a lower section 29. The upper sections 27 are connected to the rear wall panel 10 along perforated lines or other weakened lines of separation indicated at 30.

In order to prevent any chance of the closure flaps 29 becoming adhered to the upper closure flaps 24 hinged to the top panel 13, areas 31 of the flap portions 29 along the slits 26 are printed to repell adhesive. Thus, in the event, the lower portions 29 of the glue flap are slightly greater in height than the closure flaps 22 hinged to the bottom panel 11, the container will still open properly.

A removable tear strip 32 is defined by parallel weakened lines of separation 33 and 34 extending parallel to the fold lines 16 and 17 and extending across the front panel 12 and across the closure flaps 23 hingedly connected to opposite ends thereof. Slits 35 at the ends of the weakened lines 33 and 34 simplify the engagement of the ends of the tear strip for removal.

The upper forward corners of the closure flaps 22 hinged to the bottom panel 11 are notched as indicated at 36, the notches 36 being rectangular and being defined by a out line 37 extending parallel to the fold lines 20 and spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the fold line 16 and the weakened line 33 forming the lower edge of the tear strip 32. Each cut line 37 is connected to the end edge of the corresponding flap 22 by right angular cut line 39 which is spaced from the forward edge 40 of the closure flap 22 a distance somewhat less than the length of the rear wall closure fiaps 23. The cut line 37 is of a length slightly greater than the length of the rear wall closure flaps 23, thereby providing tabs 41 which can be deflected out of the plane of the remainder of the flaps 22.

When the container is closed, it is generally similar in appearance to any conventional end opening container except for the notches 36 which expose the major portion 7 of the tear strip 32 extending into the closure flaps 23. When the container is opened, the tab 41 of one closure flap 22 is flexed out of the plane of the remainder of the closure flaps 22, to expose the end portion of the tear strip 32 between the slits 35. This portion of the tear strip is engaged by the fingers and pulled outwardly as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. When the tear strip has been removed, the entire forward portion of the container is separated from the lower portion thereof.

To complete the opening of the container, the upper portions 27 of the rear wall closure flaps 21 are separated from the rear wall 10 along the weakened line of separation 30. The upper portion of the container may then be lifted from the lower portion. The lower portion appears as indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings, while the detached portion is shown in inverted position in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The detached portion may be discarded. The contents of the container may be price marked and the entire container and contents may be placed upon a shelf.

In the foregoing description, the tear strip 32 has been described as extending completely across the front wall and across the front wall closure flaps attached thereto. If preferred, the removable tear strip may extend across the front wall only, and the front wall closure flaps may be slit or perforated in alignment with the tear strip. Furthermore, while the structure has been described as having top and bottom walls, these walls could be inverted if desired. Furthermore, both sections of the container may be used for display trays after they have been separated if it is so desired.

I claim:

1. A separable container including a rear wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a top wall and a glue flap connected long parallel fold lines, closure flaps on the ends of said wall and glue flap extensions on the ends of said glue flap,

said glue flap overlapping the upper portion of said rear wall and said glue flap extensions being secured in face contact with said rear wall closure flaps, said rear wall closure flaps being separated into upper and lower portions, the upper portion being connected to said top wall closure flaps and said glue flap extensions, and the lower part being secured to said bottom wall closure flaps,

weakened lines of separation connecting said upper portions of said rear wall closure flaps to said rear wall, and fold lines connecting the lower portions of said rear wall closure flaps to said rear wall,

and a tear strip extending across said front wall and said front wall closure flaps being readily separable substantially in alignment with said tear strip whereby said top wall together with the upper portion of said front wall, said glue flap and extensions, said upper portions of said rear wall closure flaps, and said top wall closure flaps may be readily detached from the remainder thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which the front wall closure flaps include continuations of the tear strip.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which the closure flaps on the top and bottom walls extend substantially into end abutting relation.

4. The structure of claim 2 and in which the closure flaps on the top and bottom walls extend into end abutting relation and in which the portions of these closure flaps overlying the tear strip continuations are substantially removed.

5. The structure of claim 1 and in which said closure flaps attached to said rear wall are slit longitudinally below the area thereof to which said glue flap extensions are secured.

6. The structure of claim 5 and in which said portions of said rear wall closure flaps above said slits are hinged to said rear wall along weakened lines of separation.

7. A separable container including a rear wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a top wall and a glue flp connected long parallel fold lines, closure fiaps on the ends of said walls and glue flap extensions on the ends of said glue flaps, said glue flap overlapping the upper portion of said rear wall and being free of attachment thereto, and said glue flap extensions being secured in face contact with said rear wall closure flaps, the portions of said rear wall closure flaps to which said glue flap extensions are secured being readily detachable from the remainder of said rear Wall closure flaps and said rear Wall, and a tear strip extending across said front wall and said front wall closure flaps being readily separable substantially in alignment with said tear strip whereby said top wall together with the upper portion of said front wall, said glue flap and extensions and said top Wall closure flaps may be detached from the remainder thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,254 1/1965 Moore 22951 3,167,237 1/1965 Negus et a1. 2295l 3,286,910 11/1966 Ofienburger 2295l GEORGE E. LOWRENCE, Primary Examiner S. E. LIPMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

